After a long career as a corporate executive, Julie embarked on a journey to discover her roots. Using brief handwritten notes found among her father’s papers after he passed away, she set out to learn more about the ancestors whose DNA she shares. Julie has attended several genealogy courses, including the Genealogy Research Institute program on Practical Genetic Genealogy. She has also completed two 13-week programs on British Genealogical Research through The Society of Genealogists in London.
Her genealogical research led her to a unique, mostly unknown, epic event that occurred just days after the end of the Civil War. She stumbled onto this event while researching her great, great, grandfather’s army service and P.O.W. records. As a result, she has become passionate about educating others about this event—especially high school and college students.
Before becoming a self-professed genealogy addict, Ms. Adamik spent 45 years as a corporate human resources executive. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in business from San Diego State University. In addition to many public speaking engagements, she is past president of the North San Diego County Genealogical Society and a member of the National Genealogical Society, Illinois Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Society of Genealogists, and the Irish Genealogical Research Society. When not spending time (often late into the night) pulling her hair out trying to find her great-grandfather’s biological father, Ms. Adamik enjoys traveling, gardening and cooking.
Julie will deliver a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation to your class, including the history of the ill-fated Sultana and a description of the capture and POW imprisonment of members of the Ohio 102nd OVI regiment.
The Sultana Disaster:
This incident was not “just” another steamboat that blew up and sunk. While licensed to carry 460 passengers and crew, the Sultana was loaded with about 2100 people. The vast majority, roughly 1900 men, were union civil war prisoners of war, recently released from Cahaba and Andersonville prisons. They were on their way home. You can imagine their excitement and longing as they boarded that steamboat! Sadly, most of them never made it.
The Sultana Disaster has been acknowledged by Congressional Resolution as the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. On April 27, 1865 near Memphis, Tennessee, over 1000 former prisoners of war died when the Sultana exploded, caught fire, and sank. Investigations revealed a litany of corrupt practices, including kickbacks and bribes paid to high-ranking Union officers, which caused the overcrowding of the boat that led to this deadly disaster.
Despite its significance, the Sultana has been overlooked in history because it was overshadowed at the time by the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. These events at the end of the Civil War conspired to wipe the memory of this tragic event
